It’s not an easy phone call to make, but Australian filmmaker Matt Bowyer is becoming an expert at it. He’s scoured the world since 2012 looking for people who share the name of Ian Fleming’s famous character and who are willing to talk on camera about it for an upcoming documentary called The Other Fellow.

If you try that opener on J Bonds listed in B.C., you get some amusing responses.

“Yes. This is James Bond. What’s this about?” replied one such Bond, in a dry British voice no less.

“I’m writing an article on people who share the name of Britain’s most famous spy.”

His response: “I don’t want anything to do with it.”

Another Bond household member, when asked if there was a James present, said, “there’s not, but there should be.”

If you’re diligent, however, you’ll soon find yourself speaking to the same two chaps Bowyer did when he canvased B.C. for would-be MI6 agents — one, a doctor from Surrey, and the other, a lawyer from Vancouver.

James Bond the surgeon said he is flying to Britain next month to be filmed by Bowyer.

But Bond’s story began back in 1965 when his parents decided to name him James.

“I don’t think they actually knew what they were getting into,” he told The Sun recently. “I think there were only two or three movies out when I was born and I don’t think they anticipated the staying power, to be quite honest.”

His parents had every right to call him James. It was, after all, his grandfather’s name. Thankfully, Bond likes the name, but it does have consequences.

Most James Bonds can’t go a day without hearing the jokes, said Bowyer, who was interviewed while in Illinois, fresh from filming a James Bond who had been charged with murder a few years ago.

Bond got off on the murder charge, said Bowyer, but he didn’t duck the attention.

“He got a lot of ‘You must have a Licence to Kill,’” he said, and reporters jumped on the chance to write, simply, ‘James Bond charged with murder.’”

Then there’s the New York-based James Bond, a travelling theatre director who is constantly meeting new people and who absolutely hates his name.

“He can’t stand it,” said Bowyer. “He just can’t stop talking about how much this just ruins his day-to-day life.”

Vancouver’s James Bond, whose wedding Bowyer filmed last September, told The Sun he actually started going by the name Jim in junior high as a way to avoid unwanted attention.

But that all changed about a decade ago when he met his husband-to-be.

“He said to me, ‘Are you kidding me that your name is James Bond and you go by Jim? There is no way I am calling you Jim,’” he said. The reclaimed name stuck.

“It’s been absolutely a blessing,” he said. “People love being able to say, ‘I’ll have my lawyer, James Bond, call you.’”

If you happen to see Bond around town, he said he takes vodka martinis, shaken, not stirred, super-cold. Onions, not olives.

Bowyer plans to release The Other Fellow next year. Check out theotherfellow.com for a trailer.

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